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High-profile Ontario Liberals return fire, say Erskine-Smith’s style of politics rubs them ‘the wrong way’

High-profile Ontario Liberals return fire, say Erskine-Smith’s style of politics rubs them ‘the wrong way’

A three-member Ontario Liberal Party arbitration committee is scheduled to meet May 20 to review Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s appeal against the provincial Scarborough-Southwest nomination election result, according to Liberal sources. In the meantime, Ontario Liberals are pushing back. In the meantime, Ontario Liberals are pushing back. After losing the provincial party nomination contest in Scarborough-Southwest last weekend, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith—who...

Trump administration quits Canada-U.S. advisory board on defence

Trump administration quits Canada-U.S. advisory board on defence

Canada 'failed to make credible progress' on defence spending commitments, says Pentagon official. The Trump administration is walking away from a long-running body that works on Canada-U.S. defence initiatives, claiming Canada has failed to meet its commitments on defence spending. U.S. Undersecretary of War Eldridge Colby announced Monday the Pentagon is "pausing" participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defence...

Carney government approval at 67% as voters want a map for the future, not a rear view mirror.

Carney government approval at 67% as voters want a map for the future, not a rear view mirror.

In our latest Spark Insights nationwide survey (3450 cases, online, May 10-14) we found Carney government approval at 67%, similar to our results in April. A majority in every part of the country indicates approval, the lowest level being 61% in Alberta, and the highest in Quebec at 73%.

Who is Jamil Jivani — and why you should be paying attention to him

Who is Jamil Jivani — and why you should be paying attention to him

Aside from being a member of Parliament, Jamil Jivani has no official roles in Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party. Elected to the House of Commons in a 2024 byelection, he possesses less political experience than most of his caucus colleagues.

A ‘red line’: Chinese embassy condemns Canadian MP’s visit to Taiwan

A ‘red line’: Chinese embassy condemns Canadian MP’s visit to Taiwan

A Canadian MP is on route to Taiwan to assert “Canadian sovereignty” in the face of what he called is a warning from China’s ambassador to Canada against members of parliament visiting the island. Conservative MP Michael Chong will meet with Taiwanese leaders next week. China’s embassy has already condemned the trip, arguing it contravenes a “red line for China-Canada...

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Carney government approval at 67% as voters want a map for the future, not a rear view mirror.

Carney government approval at 67% as voters want a map for the future, not a rear view mirror.

In our latest Spark Insights nationwide survey (3450 cases, online, May 10-14) we found Carney government approval at 67%, similar to our results in April. A majority in every part of the country indicates approval, the lowest level being 61% in Alberta, and the highest in Quebec at 73%.

Federal Tracker: Liberals Lead Conservatives By 9

Federal Tracker: Liberals Lead Conservatives By 9

The latest Weekly Federal Tracker from Liaison Strategies shows the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, holding a 9-point lead over Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's approval continues to fall and is now at 56%. If a federal election were held today among decided and leaning voters, the Liberals would receive 43% of the vote, followed...



Opinion

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More and more Canadians are declaring insolvency, which is kind of perverse good news for Conservatives

More and more Canadians are declaring insolvency, which is kind of perverse good news for Conservatives

Everything should be adjusted for inflation and population growth. This is something I always think of when looking at comparative stats. When I saw a few days ago that Canadian personal insolvencies had hit a level we hadn’t seen since 2009—the era of the global financial crisis and the so-called Great Recession—I immediately thought about this. And it turns out...

I was Canada’s first Parliamentary budget officer. I can see that Mark Carney is walking a tightrope

I was Canada’s first Parliamentary budget officer. I can see that Mark Carney is walking a tightrope

We live in an age of uncertainty and disorder. Prime Minister Mark Carney has called this a hinge moment. Long-term relationships have been ruptured. For policymakers, however, unpredictability is the norm. The current risks are long-term and complex (wars, international relations, climate, inequality, technology) but they also have significant short-term impacts (confidence, affordability, employment).

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Feds lose bid for court extension of Nicholas ruling

Feds lose bid for court extension of Nicholas ruling

The federal government has lost its request for an extension to implement the terms of the Nicholas ruling. In a decision released Friday, the B.C. Supreme Court rejected Ottawa’s application to delay the deadline until October, ramping up the pressure to pass Bill S-2 when the House resumes sitting next week. READ MORE: Government secures brief extension of court-imposed deadline...

Defence Minister expected to lay out future of Snowbirds’ jets on Tuesday

Defence Minister expected to lay out future of Snowbirds’ jets on Tuesday

Temporarily grounding Canada’s iconic Snowbirds may be required to ensure the aging planes don’t weigh on broader military operations, says a former chief of defence staff. Tom Lawson, also a former fighter pilot, offered his view ahead of Defence Minister David McGuinty’s planned Tuesday announcement on the fate of the aerobatic flying unit known for its red-and-white jets. For over...

Politician's Pen

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Why Nova Scotia Is Ready to Support Canada’s Defence, Security and Resilience Bank

Why Nova Scotia Is Ready to Support Canada’s Defence, Security and Resilience Bank

Canada’s selection as home to the new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank affirms our country’s credibility with its allies and its leadership at a time when defence, security and economic resilience is critical. Nova Scotia was one of the first to raise our hand in support of Canada’s bid.

Building Canada Strong Through Sport

Building Canada Strong Through Sport



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Smith is coddling Alberta separatists, straddling the issue, stoking the fire

Smith is coddling Alberta separatists, straddling the issue, stoking the fire

A Pollara poll from April had support for Alberta separatism at 27 per cent, the highest level recorded in five years of tracking. A recent CBC News poll showed that 57 per cent of UCP members would vote for Alberta to separate from Canada. This means Smith is dependent on separatists to remain leader.

Alberta puts its own chaotic spin on the separation playbook

Alberta puts its own chaotic spin on the separation playbook

Alberta’s separatist sentiment has borrowed heavily on what you might call Quebec envy. But make no mistake, the direction it is taking now veers far from the well-worn Quebec separatist path. Though Alberta’s discontent in the federation goes back a long way, it was only in the past decade or so that it sharpened into a focus on getting Alberta...

Mark Carney is right to focus on this one strategic relationship. Here’s how he can make it even stronger

Mark Carney is right to focus on this one strategic relationship. Here’s how he can make it even stronger

The idea that Canada might one day join the European Union is having a moment. It’s not hard to see why. Canadians are looking for deeper ties with stable, liberal democracies which share our values and have strong institutions. EU membership for a North American country is fanciful but it’s just not in the cards. What we can do is...

Mark Carney’s pesticide policy could put the economy ahead of your health

Mark Carney’s pesticide policy could put the economy ahead of your health

Prime Minister Mark Carney is quietly bringing-in sweeping reforms to the pesticides law, making it more difficult for the government to ensure that the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat is safe from dangerous toxins. Buried in two omnibus financial bills are provisions that overhaul the Pest Control Products Act. They change the health...

Parties had better clean up nomination races before the government decides to

Parties had better clean up nomination races before the government decides to

What are voters to make of a political party that can’t properly manage a riding nomination? The Ontario Liberals are the latest to pose that question implicitly — and not for the first time — to the electorate. Nate Erskine-Smith, a departing federal Liberal MP and presumed candidate for the provincial party’s leadership, alleges all manner of skulduggery in the...

With a possible referendum looming, Carney and Smith find common ground on carbon pricing

With a possible referendum looming, Carney and Smith find common ground on carbon pricing

Prime minister says he hopes Albertans see a 'Canada that works.' On Friday morning in Calgary, Mark Carney and Danielle Smith shook hands, then signed and posed with official copies of an "implementation agreement for the Canada-Alberta memorandum of understanding," an eight-page document bound up in profound questions of climate change, resource development, economic sovereignty and national unity. "Today is...



Danielle Smith shoots down her critics in scoring big pipeline deal

Danielle Smith shoots down her critics in scoring big pipeline deal

Premier Danielle Smith is confident. On the pipeline deal with Mark Carney she believes she speaks for most Albertans

Smith's economic wins with Ottawa are historic and may move the dial on separatism

Smith's economic wins with Ottawa are historic and may move the dial on separatism

Smith may have set up this province for decades of economic gains

Carney ensnares Danielle Smith in pipeline blackmail

Carney ensnares Danielle Smith in pipeline blackmail

The “plan” to approve a pipeline, which was detailed by the federal and Alberta governments on Friday, is a perfect example, not of federal-provincial co-operation, but of why Canada can’t build infrastructure. Rather than being subject to market demand, the decision to build or not to build is being driven entirely by politics.

Ottawa and Alberta just struck a carbon deal that could actually move the needle

Ottawa and Alberta just struck a carbon deal that could actually move the needle

Alberta and Ottawa just did something nobody expected, and it actually matters. For years, the story of Canadian climate policy has been a familiar one: Ottawa sets ambitious targets, Alberta pushes back, and the country lurches forward with neither the unity nor the urgency the moment demands. Today, that story finally has a new chapter.

Ottawa and Alberta reach landmark energy agreement, but at what cost?

Ottawa and Alberta reach landmark energy agreement, but at what cost?

The Political Pulse panel breaks down Prime Minister Mark Carney’s energy agreement with Alberta – and the political compromises that come with it.

‘Absurdity piled upon absurdity’ — Alberta independence movement collapsing under its own weight

‘Absurdity piled upon absurdity’ — Alberta independence movement collapsing under its own weight

Good news from the West: the prospect of a referendum on independence for Alberta this fall continues to collapse under the weight of its own absurdities and contradictions.



Ottawa wants to double electricity supply. Provinces will determine whether it happens

Ottawa wants to double electricity supply. Provinces will determine whether it happens

Two questions burn at the top of Canada’s economic agenda: how to accelerate growth, and how to mobilize the capital to fund it. Increasingly, the answer to both hinges on something we have long taken for granted: electricity. More and more, Canada’s economic agenda is pinned to projects that require abundant, cheap and low-carbon electricity. Critical minerals mining and processing...

Mark Carney’s Strategy for the Age of Electricity

Mark Carney’s Strategy for the Age of Electricity

In January, Prime Minister Carney gave a speech in Davos that went viral with its stark honesty about a rupture in the world order. From the campaign trail to his first year in office, Carney has consistently described the challenges Canadians face as a hinge moment for the country, a turning point requiring dramatic change. And that was before the...

Canada is one of history’s most successful countries. Here’s a look at who’s trying to destroy it, and how

Canada is one of history’s most successful countries. Here’s a look at who’s trying to destroy it, and how

The recorded history of Canada stretches back more than 500 years; the unrecorded history, many thousands. It is one of the world’s oldest continuously existing democracies, with a Constitution whose principal features – monarchical, federal, parliamentary, with an independent judiciary and (ahem) an unelected Senate – have remained unchanged since 1867.

For Danielle Smith and Alberta separatists, no clear path left for referendum after court loss

For Danielle Smith and Alberta separatists, no clear path left for referendum after court loss

For the last torrid year in Alberta politics, so much seemed to be building toward a separation referendum this fall. Premier Danielle Smith eased the rules repeatedly for a pro-separatist petition to succeed. Right before a court first ruled against petitioners in December because of constitutional issues, her government rewrote a law to make that moot. She scheduled a series...

America’s role as Canada’s culture-shaper is coming to an end

America’s role as Canada’s culture-shaper is coming to an end

In the United States, the life expectancy is 78.4 years. In Canada, it’s 82.2. That would be a good statistic to insert into a response to America’s Canada-trashers, like Ambassador Pete Hoekstra or Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. A line like: “Dear Americans, if you want to live several years longer, move to Canada.” It’s a telling statistic. In the debate...

Kiss your online privacy goodbye with Bill C-22, Canada

Kiss your online privacy goodbye with Bill C-22, Canada

Civil liberties groups, legal experts and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce have been sounding the alarm for months on the privacy and cybersecurity issues contained in the Carney government’s Lawful Access Act, or Bill C-22. In a not-so-surprising twist, American lawmakers have now also added their voice to those warning about the bill.



Canada’s not ready for the next viral outbreak. We didn’t even bother with an inquiry on the last one

Canada’s not ready for the next viral outbreak. We didn’t even bother with an inquiry on the last one

Various experts have been assuring the public over the past several weeks that the risk of a major hantavirus outbreak is low. This is a known virus, they say, unlike the novel coronavirus first observed in 2019. It doesn’t pose pandemic potential, they say, because this Andes variant requires prolonged close contact to be transmitted from human to human.

Alberta separatism is not inevitable

Alberta separatism is not inevitable

A sense of inevitability has set into the public mood in Alberta, as it seems that a referendum on independence is going to happen this fall, in spite of a cascading series of dubious events. It shouldn’t be this way—no separatist party won an election on a clear mandate for a referendum, so there is no democratic legitimacy for one...

Trump won by treating voters like they're stupid. It won't work in Canada.

Trump won by treating voters like they're stupid. It won't work in Canada.

Americans are impatient with their chaotic President. For a shockingly long time, they seemed willing to shrug off his juvenile framing of complex issues. Some winced, many looked away. Millions marched, and the rest of the world wondered why it wasn’t millions more. Trump will never stop being Trump. But he’s got fewer cards. He’s spending billions on a war...

Mark Carney wades into the deep waters of environmental regulation

Mark Carney wades into the deep waters of environmental regulation

Perhaps the most attention-grabbing criticism of the Carney government's proposed changes to environmental regulations and permitting has come not from across the aisle, but from within the Liberal caucus — and is being framed as a comparison with the last Conservative prime minister. "This goes beyond what [Stephen] Harper proposed when he was in power," Steven Guilbeault, the former environment...

The process of choosing the Governor-General is the problem, not the pick herself

The process of choosing the Governor-General is the problem, not the pick herself

The controversy over Louise Arbour’s appointment as Governor-General is unusual in that both sides cite the same set of facts. She’s a former Supreme Court justice, say her supporters, a former international war-crimes prosecutor, and a former UN high commissioner for human rights, among a long list of other offices and laurels. Exactly, say her opponents: a bona fide member...

Mark Carney could do the right thing and make a hero out of 23 MPs at the same time

Mark Carney could do the right thing and make a hero out of 23 MPs at the same time

As Mark Carney often reminds us, he is not, as he puts it, “a career politician.” In many ways, that is a good thing. After two decades of rancorous, often toxic uber-partisanship, Carney’s no-nonsense, low-key approach is a welcome relief and reassuring to Canadians who have been deeply unnerved by Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on our country.

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Ottawa still pledging to double construction pace despite home building headwinds

Ottawa still pledging to double construction pace despite home building headwinds

The federal Liberal government is sticking to its pledge to double the pace of home building even as headwinds buffet the construction industry. Prime Minister Mark Carney promised in his 2025 election platform to make investments that would double the pace of housing construction over the next decade to drive down the costs of rent and home ownership. Parliamentary Budget...

Conservative MP Michael Chong visits Taiwan to meet President in defiance of China

Conservative MP Michael Chong visits Taiwan to meet President in defiance of China

A Canadian MP has arrived in Taiwan to meet President Lai Ching-te in defiance of a recent warning from China’s ambassador against further trips to the self-governed island by Parliamentarians from Canada. Beijing considers the democracy of 24 million people a breakaway province despite the fact China’s governing Communist Party has never ruled the territory since it took power more...

The RCMP wants another Black Hawk helicopter. Not so fast, says Transport Canada

The RCMP wants another Black Hawk helicopter. Not so fast, says Transport Canada

The RCMP wants one more Black Hawk helicopter to help it patrol the Canada-U.S. border — but the federal government’s own regulations are preventing one of its suppliers from bringing another one into the country. Canada’s federal police force is currently chartering three Black Hawks and has said it wants a fourth, according to court filings and parliamentary testimony reviewed...

Why Mark Carney and Europe are doubling down on each other

Why Mark Carney and Europe are doubling down on each other

The prime minister’s comments about rebuilding an international order “out of Europe” hints at a bold insight and potential plan from a man who is emerging as an architect of the global reordering. No sooner were the words out of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mouth than one French news magazine dubbed them “a breath of fresh air from Canada.” “It...

Trump's abortion 'gag rule' has Canadian aid sector asking Ottawa to show leadership

Trump's abortion 'gag rule' has Canadian aid sector asking Ottawa to show leadership

Canadian aid groups are deliberating how to respond to American policies that block U.S. aid for virtually any group in developing countries that provides abortion, science-based sexual health information or LGBTQ+ advocacy. The rollback of feminist aid has those groups calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to assemble a coalition of like-minded nations to defend sexual health programming. "People are...

Alberta Premier Smith open to southern route for potential pipeline to West Coast

Alberta Premier Smith open to southern route for potential pipeline to West Coast

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she’s open to a southern route — or one that runs along the Trans Mountain Expansion Project — for a potential pipeline that would transport oil from her province to the West Coast. Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday they’ve reached a deal on an industrial carbon price, a critical piece of their...

Canadian in isolation tests presumptively positive for hantavirus, B.C.'s top doctor says

Canadian in isolation tests presumptively positive for hantavirus, B.C.'s top doctor says

A Canadian isolating in B.C. has presumptively tested positive for hantavirus after leaving the cruise ship affected by an outbreak of the Andes strain in recent weeks, B.C.'s top doctor said Saturday. Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, said Saturday the patient started to develop mild symptoms, including fever and headache, two days ago. The individual was taken to hospital...

White House points to 'longstanding unfair trade practices' when asked about Gordie Howe bridge opening

White House points to 'longstanding unfair trade practices' when asked about Gordie Howe bridge opening

Bridge authority, Canadian government say opening tied to testing work. For months, Canadian officials have maintained that the long-awaited opening of the $6.4 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ont., is dependent on various testing and commissioning tasks. But fresh comments from a Canadian cabinet member as well as two top U.S. officials suggests there is a...

Eby says Ottawa is rewarding Alberta's 'bad behaviour' with pipeline agreement

Eby says Ottawa is rewarding Alberta's 'bad behaviour' with pipeline agreement

British Columbia Premier David Eby says the federal government is rewarding Alberta for "bad behaviour" by agreeing to push for a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed an "implementation agreement" to advance a West Coast pipeline to Ottawa's major projects office by July 1. The new agreement commits both...

'It's insane': Summer gas prices could hit record highs, upending budgets and travel

'It's insane': Summer gas prices could hit record highs, upending budgets and travel

Since gas prices started climbing in March, Sarah Bradley has found herself bargain hunting across multiple grocery stores in Montreal. "Before, I'm a one-stop shop person," she said. "Now I think twice. I'm like, OK, do I need that from IGA or can I find it somewhere else for cheaper? "It's insane," she said of the cost of filling up...

Carney, Smith sign carbon price deal, suggest fall 2027 pipeline approval

Carney, Smith sign carbon price deal, suggest fall 2027 pipeline approval

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday they're eyeing a fall 2027 start date for construction of a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast. It's part of a plan to accomplish the remaining steps of the landmark energy deal they signed last fall. There is to be a new scheme for carbon emissions pricing in...

Good Talk -- If This Is The Price Of Becoming An Energy Superpower, Is It Too High?

Good Talk -- If This Is The Price Of Becoming An Energy Superpower, Is It Too High?

Mark Carney says Canada can become an energy superpower, given its potential in oil, gas, electricity, solar, and wind. But as we are seeing now, to get there, some old promises need to change. Is that price too high? Is the Liberal Party's unity at stake? Just some of the questions and one of the issues for Chantal and Bruce...

AFN chief warns against changes to major projects development rules, calls for debate

AFN chief warns against changes to major projects development rules, calls for debate

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says proposed changes to major project development rules "are not acceptable" and risk trampling on the rights of First Nations. The federal government is proposing giving authority to review interprovincial pipelines and transmission lines, and offshore renewable energy projects, to the Canada Energy Regulator instead of the Impact Assessment Agency of...

Major VPN provider says it could leave Canada over lawful access bill

Major VPN provider says it could leave Canada over lawful access bill

Virtual private network service NordVPN says it could pull out of Canada over the federal government's proposed lawful access bill. NordVPN says it is reviewing the bill and would consider leaving Canada if the bill requires it to compromise its privacy protections. Earlier this week, The Globe and Mail reported that the encrypted messaging service Signal said it would leave...

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith seeks advice on next steps following nomination loss

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith seeks advice on next steps following nomination loss

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is asking supporters for advice on what his next steps should be, with his potential bid to become Ontario Liberal leader in doubt following a nomination loss. Erskine-Smith was vying to represent the provincial party in the upcoming Scarborough Southwest byelection but lost a nomination race last weekend. He had said he wanted to run in...

Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to issue 'robust' sanctions on Israel

Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to issue 'robust' sanctions on Israel

Scores of former senior Canadian diplomats are calling for Prime Minister Mark Carney to issue "robust" sanctions on Israel over deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. In a letter sent to media outlets, the former diplomats also call on the federal government to review Canada's trade agreement with Israel and issue a notice that a strategic partnership agreement...

Supreme Court recognizes intimate partner violence as a legal basis for civil damages

Supreme Court recognizes intimate partner violence as a legal basis for civil damages

OTTAWA -- The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized intimate partner violence as a distinct legal basis for pursuing civil damages.

Alberta separation petition signature sheets remain locked up after court ruling - Alberta government to appeal decision to defend its citizen initiative law

Alberta separation petition signature sheets remain locked up after court ruling - Alberta government to appeal decision to defend its citizen initiative law

Alberta’s chief electoral officer Gordon McClure says he accepts a court’s ruling overturning his decision to authorize an Albertan to gather signatures for a proposed independence referendum. Boxes containing sheets with potentially hundreds of thousands of signatures supporting a separation referendum remain locked in a secure Elections Alberta facility, and employees will not count or verify those signatures for now...

‘It’s sad’: former minister Dion says project approval revamp pitch latest in ‘trend’ of climate policy backlash

‘It’s sad’: former minister Dion says project approval revamp pitch latest in ‘trend’ of climate policy backlash

Former Liberal environment minister Stéphane Dion says Ottawa’s recent proposal to streamline major project reviews—which some environmentalists say could result in “the most consequential change to the fabric of Canadian environmental law in a generation”—is the latest in a trend of “backlash against climate policies.” “There is the sense that we went too far,” said Dion in an interview with...

McGuinty declines to say whether Canada would send more ships through Taiwan Strait

McGuinty declines to say whether Canada would send more ships through Taiwan Strait

Defence Minister David McGuinty declined to say whether Canada would continue sending warships through the Taiwan Strait, weeks after China’s ambassador warned doing so would damage a new strategic partnership Prime Minister Mark Carney has struck with Beijing. Mr. McGuinty cited operational security as a reason for not answering. “Those are operational questions, security questions – I don’t get into...

How much damage have Canada's booze bans done to the U.S. wine industry?

How much damage have Canada's booze bans done to the U.S. wine industry?

As Canada enters free trade talks with U.S., these charts show Canada’s impact on booze trade. As we head into the Victoria Day long weekend, one of the busiest booze-buying weekends on the calendar, it's the second year where most Canadians are without access to American labels. When Canadian liquor stores pulled American products from shelves in early 2025, it...

Carney, Smith set to make energy announcement; carbon price deal expected

Carney, Smith set to make energy announcement; carbon price deal expected

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are to meet today in Calgary, where they're expected to announce an agreement on the future of industrial carbon emission pricing in the province. A source with knowledge of the discussions has said the leaders are expected to reveal a plan for Alberta to raise its emission price to $130 per...

Why the U.S. is noticing this Canadian security bill

Why the U.S. is noticing this Canadian security bill

Bill C-22 proposes to help police investigate online cases. A Liberal government bill that proposes giving police and spies easier access to information during investigations has fallen into the crosshairs of U.S. tech giants and two American congressional committees, threatening to become the latest irritant in the Canada-U.S. relationship. The bill, this government’s second attempt at passing lawful access legislation...

Military reprimanded soldiers who raised concerns about monitoring Canadians online during COVID-19

Military reprimanded soldiers who raised concerns about monitoring Canadians online during COVID-19

Internal review found the activity violated intelligence-gathering rules. The military reprimanded soldiers after they raised concerns about an order to monitor Canadians' online activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, CBC News has learned. But the military’s top lawyer later warned of risks associated with this kind of monitoring, and a review found it violated the rules, according to internal documents viewed...

Canada could support Hormuz defence mission with vessel, demining support, satellite imagery

Canada could support Hormuz defence mission with vessel, demining support, satellite imagery

Defence Minister David McGuinty said Canada could contribute a vessel, demining assistance or satellite imagery if a mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz proceeds. Mr. McGuinty, who wrapped up a defence and trade visit to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on Thursday, said a condition of this support would be “a durable cessation” of hostilities in the vital...

Tories question CBC funding of spoof-style Indigenous show on residential schools

Tories question CBC funding of spoof-style Indigenous show on residential schools

Conservatives are questioning why CBC is funding a spoof program that used false pretences to lure high-profile people accused of downplaying the damage caused by residential schools into sitting for interviews. Several current and former Conservative politicians have gone on social media to denounce the production "Northland Tales." The show is being produced for CBC and APTN. The show is...

Frequent visits to Persian Gulf show Carney's ambition goes beyond seeking investment

Frequent visits to Persian Gulf show Carney's ambition goes beyond seeking investment

The Carney government is putting a new emphasis on diplomacy with Persian Gulf countries -- one that goes beyond seeking investments in Canada to arrangements touching on defence and artificial intelligence. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand made trips to both Oman and Qatar this week, while Defence Minister David McGuinty was in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Prime Minister...

U.S. to slap tariffs on Canadian mushrooms as growers warn of broader risks for agriculture

U.S. to slap tariffs on Canadian mushrooms as growers warn of broader risks for agriculture

U.S. pointing to agricultural tax exemptions as justification for countervailing duties. The U.S. is about to slap countervailing duties on fresh mushrooms grown in Canada, as Canadian growers warn of broader risks to the farming sector on both sides of the border. A U.S. Commerce Department fact sheet released this week and shared with CBC by the Canadian Mushroom Growers'...



US Poli

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Trump administration announces $1.7B fund for prosecuted allies in deal to drop lawsuit

Trump administration announces $1.7B fund for prosecuted allies in deal to drop lawsuit

The Trump administration on Monday said it's creating a $1.7 billion fund to compensate prosecuted allies of the Republican president after he moved to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

Trump administration promote program to check voter eligibility. Critics fear a midterm purge

Trump administration promote program to check voter eligibility. Critics fear a midterm purge

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Even as Democratic officials fight the effort in court, the Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to determine their eligibility in a process that critics worry could end up purging valid voters from the rolls before the November elections.

Sen. Cassidy knocked out of Louisiana Republican primary as Trump-backed Letlow, Fleming make runoff

Sen. Cassidy knocked out of Louisiana Republican primary as Trump-backed Letlow, Fleming make runoff

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow advanced to a runoff in Louisiana's Republican Senate primary Saturday, capitalizing on the power of President Donald Trump's endorsement in another attempt to purge his party of people he views as disloyal. State Treasurer John Fleming came in second to join her in the next round of voting.

Trump blasts 'disloyal' Sen. Cassidy while pushing challenger in Louisiana Republican primary

Trump blasts 'disloyal' Sen. Cassidy while pushing challenger in Louisiana Republican primary

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is fighting for his political life in Louisiana's Republican primary on Saturday as he faces a challenge backed by President Donald Trump, the latest attempt by the president to purge the party of politicians he views as disloyal.

International

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A ‘red line’: Chinese embassy condemns Canadian MP’s visit to Taiwan

A ‘red line’: Chinese embassy condemns Canadian MP’s visit to Taiwan

A Canadian MP is on route to Taiwan to assert “Canadian sovereignty” in the face of what he called is a warning from China’s ambassador to Canada against members of parliament visiting the island. Conservative MP Michael Chong will meet with Taiwanese leaders next week. China’s embassy has already condemned the trip, arguing it contravenes a “red line for China-Canada...

Conservative MP Michael Chong visits Taiwan to meet President in defiance of China

Conservative MP Michael Chong visits Taiwan to meet President in defiance of China

A Canadian MP has arrived in Taiwan to meet President Lai Ching-te in defiance of a recent warning from China’s ambassador against further trips to the self-governed island by Parliamentarians from Canada. Beijing considers the democracy of 24 million people a breakaway province despite the fact China’s governing Communist Party has never ruled the territory since it took power more...

Why Mark Carney and Europe are doubling down on each other

Why Mark Carney and Europe are doubling down on each other

The prime minister’s comments about rebuilding an international order “out of Europe” hints at a bold insight and potential plan from a man who is emerging as an architect of the global reordering. No sooner were the words out of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mouth than one French news magazine dubbed them “a breath of fresh air from Canada.” “It...

Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to issue 'robust' sanctions on Israel

Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to issue 'robust' sanctions on Israel

Scores of former senior Canadian diplomats are calling for Prime Minister Mark Carney to issue "robust" sanctions on Israel over deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. In a letter sent to media outlets, the former diplomats also call on the federal government to review Canada's trade agreement with Israel and issue a notice that a strategic partnership agreement...

McGuinty declines to say whether Canada would send more ships through Taiwan Strait

McGuinty declines to say whether Canada would send more ships through Taiwan Strait

Defence Minister David McGuinty declined to say whether Canada would continue sending warships through the Taiwan Strait, weeks after China’s ambassador warned doing so would damage a new strategic partnership Prime Minister Mark Carney has struck with Beijing. Mr. McGuinty cited operational security as a reason for not answering. “Those are operational questions, security questions – I don’t get into...

Think Tank

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Canadian coal – From dirty secret to critical mineral: Heather Exner-Pirot

Canadian coal – From dirty secret to critical mineral: Heather Exner-Pirot

Coal is often treated as a relic of the past – dirty, declining, and politically toxic. Yet globally, it remains indispensable, the backbone of electricity systems in Asia and the primary input for global steelmaking.

Unseating responsible government: Judicial interference in Canada’s parliamentary democracy

Unseating responsible government: Judicial interference in Canada’s parliamentary democracy

When the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force in 1982, many warned that it would undermine the foundations of Canada’s system of parliamentary democracy and usher in a new age of judicial supremacy. For a time, those concerns appeared overstated. Canadian courts exercised a degree of restraint, and the basic contours of Westminster parliamentary governance remained intact...

Layers of Medicare dysfunction

Layers of Medicare dysfunction


Substacks

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A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

Can the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines survive?

Can the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines survive?

“Despite the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel which has resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries…Lebanon moved forward with the ban on antipersonnel landmines,” said the Ottawa-based group Mines Action Canada in a statement, celebrating the new addition.

Protecting a pedophile's privacy

Protecting a pedophile's privacy

Canada’s privacy laws are supposed to protect ordinary citizens from unwarranted intrusions into their personal lives. But they can also protect pedophiles. Dead pedophiles. Dead pedophiles from America.

How Polarized is Canada... And Should We Worry?

If you want to sound wise these days, just blame the crazy state of the world on polarization. If you want to sound really wise, say that fighting polarization needs to be part of the political agenda and be sure to blame social media and Donald Trump (although not necessarily in that order) for the current chaos. Despite it being...

Podcasts

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Can Canada Build Again? Carney’s Regulatory Reform Test

Can Canada Build Again? Carney’s Regulatory Reform Test

Why can’t Canada get big things built? Can Carney cut delays without cutting corners? Is Ottawa finally admitting there’s a problem? In this episode of the Sage podcast, Donald Wright and Janet Annesley join hosts Edward Greenspon and Allan Gregg to talk about one of Canada’s hardest policy questions: why is it so difficult to get major projects built? As...

Decoding CUSMA with Louise Blais

Decoding CUSMA with Louise Blais

Louise Blais returns for a special episode on CUSMA, joining Peter Donolo and Jeremy Kinsman to unpack the next phase of North American trade negotiations. Now serving as Québec's trade representative, Louise explains why the July 1 review date is not a cliff edge, but a critical moment to assess where the agreement is working and where pressure is building...

Ottawa and Alberta pencil in a pipeline date

Ottawa and Alberta pencil in a pipeline date

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney have made another stride in their important MOU: A new carbon pricing agreement that is far less than the targets set by Justin Trudeau. Is the deal enough to calm down separatists? Could it anger environmentalists within Carney's team? Ottawa bureau chiefs Tonda MacCharles of the Toronto Star and Stuart Thomson...

Good Talk -- If This Is The Price Of Becoming An Energy Superpower, Is It Too High?

Good Talk -- If This Is The Price Of Becoming An Energy Superpower, Is It Too High?

Mark Carney says Canada can become an energy superpower, given its potential in oil, gas, electricity, solar, and wind. But as we are seeing now, to get there, some old promises need to change. Is that price too high? Is the Liberal Party's unity at stake? Just some of the questions and one of the issues for Chantal and Bruce...